Hi everyone, Wednesday night Thursday morning , I decided to rank up outside Abacus in Cornhill, I took a chance being it’s August and slow on the streets, when I arrived I was surprised to see how busy it really was, busy yes, with people laying on the pavement or just trying to stand up straight but you’ve got to use your discretion.

I won’t let anyone in the cab if they can’t find my door handle or they’re rude but generally I find out to late and in this particular case it was.

I was there for about 10 minutes before someone came up to me, I should have used that discretion I was talking about because he says are you available; ” You don’t like to sound sarcastic, but when your sitting there with your for hire light on isn’t it a bit obvious” I says yes, he shouts over to his mates this ones available; There you go another clue I was the only official licensed taxi there, the rest were minicab’s.

So in they get three blokes and two girls, Covent Garden please, so off we go,the blokes are quite loud but theres nothing unusual about that, especially when tanked up like they were, at one point I could hear one of the blokes say to the girls in a very abrupt manner where do you want to go, the answer came back in a very shaky voice, you decide.

At this point I decided to turn the radio down just so I could hear what was being said, next I heard one of the blokes say to the girls do you want to get out, I heard one of them say to him in a very low and shaky voice yes, thats when I butted in, I said to them if you want to get out you can, the reply came back as yes.

I was already in High Holborn just past the junction of Southampton Place when I pulled over and there happened to be two coppers walking past, thats where the girls got out and I said to one of them if you have a problem have a word with the police, Lucky the blokes didn’t bother them anymore and they walked off.

They did bother me,one of them said what 9 pound on the meter they should have paid that, I said you invited them in the cab in the first place so it’s only fair you pay the fare, one of them said we are not paying you, I said did I hear you right you’ll not paying the fare, thats right he said.

I called over the coppers and told them they didn’t want to pay me, so they asked them to get out of the cab and pay me, at first they still refused, then one of them said to the copper your white and so is he, meaning me, obviously the copper didn’t like what he said and said to him if you don’t pay the driver then I’m going to nick you, well it did the trick he said we want you to give us a receipt each for 3 pound I said your getting one receipt for nine pound and that’s it.

He said to me in my country taxi drivers always give separate receipts, I said where’s your country he said India I said your still only getting one receipt though, that started them of again refusing to pay me, this time the copper said the driver has offered to give you a receipt you should take it and pay him the money.

that same guy turned round to me behind the coppers back and said arse hole I didn’t say anything back all I wanted was to get paid, one gave me a fiver and asked for two pound change, I said no way you still owe me 4 pound and I don’t care who pays me, I eventually got the rest of the money and drove off.

To be honest I thought the three guys were on drugs because of the way they were acting and if they were decent blokes I would have given them separate receipts thats enough hassle for one day, be lucky, Steve.